NewMusicBox: I once had a conversation with my violin teacher that I will never forget. I was at a crucial stage in my development as a musician. The path to a career as a professional violinist was becoming clearer to me, and my passion and talent were becoming more evident. I was in my lesson; I had a stack of music on the stand and several important auditions coming up. Turning to my teacher and mentor, I wondered aloud how viable this path was really going to be.
“I would advise you to think very, very carefully about all of this,” she said grimly. “Being a musician and having a family is extremely difficult.”
I was fourteen.
1 comment:
The personal anecdotes from this article were really saddening. Having multiple music teachers criticize your work as “like a woman” or warn you against music to “raise a family” must ingrain negativity about playing music as a woman. This article struck a chord within me because I dealt with a vocal coach like this before. I was co-cast as the male lead in a musical as a freshman girl in high school, and the character had 7 or 8 songs that he was singing in. The other actor playing this part was a senior guy, and had a range better fit to the role. I was consistently put down when practicing, and the coach would gush over my partner’s “manly” voice that was vibrant and beautiful while I was in the room. Eventually, the key was changed for my parts, but I never received praise or admiration for my work.
I looked into the magazines this article wrote about, and am happy to say that in 2025, 12 years after this article was written, there are many more women appreciated for their musicianship online. Unfortunately, as my testimony shows, there still is inequality in the music industry. We should all try to be aware of this and work towards better practices.
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